Combined closure and dispensing device



July 4, 1939. p EDWARDS 2,164,314

COMBINED CLOSURE AND DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Jan. 17, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENKSR. ED R P EDWARDS ATTORNEY 5 July 4, 1939. Ef R EDWARDS 2,164,314

COMBINED CLOSURE AND DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Jan. 17, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

fiDWARfl PE'DWARDJ Gamma/L- m W Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT orrics COMBINED CLOSURE AND DISPENSING DEVICE Application January 17, 1938, Serial No. 185,437

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to combined closures and dispensing devices for liquid containers, and has particular reference to the type of bottle stopper which, in addition to a pouring 5 passage or outlet for the liquid contained in the bottle, is provided with a vent tube or inlet to admit air to the bottle to replace the liquid being poured therefrom. Stoppers of this type are generally referred to as pouring stoppers, and are intended to be inserted in the neck of bottles in place of the usual cork.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a combined closure and dispensing device of the foregoing type of such construc tion that when the bottle is tilted the liquid will issue entirely from the pouring spout and not from the air vent or inlet.

Another object is to provide a device of the foregoingtype, which is of symmetrical construction so that both openings in the device are adapted to serve either as the pouring spout or as the air vent or inlet, depending upon whether the bottle is tilted with one opening or the other disposed downwardly.

Still another object is to provide a device of the foregoing type, which is of simple and rugged construction, which does not require any particular degree of care in its use and which lends itself readily to being manufactured at a relatively small cost on a large commercial scale.

The inventive concept underlying the invention is capable of being embodied in various mechanical forms, one of which is shown in the accompanying drawings for the purpose of il1ustrating the invention with the particularity and exactness required by the patent statutes.

Referring briefly to the drawings, 1

Figure 1 is an elevational View of 'a bottle pro vided with the illustrative form of combined closure and dispensing device of the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the illustrative form of combined closure and dispensing device, the main body portion of the device and its bushing or adapter being shown separated and the main body portion being partly broken away, all for greater clearness of illustration;

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the upper part of the bottle and the combined closure and dispensing device, the bottle being in a tilted position and the course of the inflowing'air and of the outflowing liquid being indicated with suitably legended arrows. The dot and dash lines show the position assumed by the pivoted arm when the bottle is tilted in the direction opposite to that shown in Figure 3; a

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, it will be noted that the letter B designates a bottle of conventional form provided with the illustrative embodiment of the invention which is designated generally by the letter C. As shown in Figure 2, the device C consists of a main body portion l and a separable bushing 2. The main body portion has an upper part 3 which may advantageously take the form of a flat plate, and which terminates at its lower end in a reduced or tubular portion 4. The bushing is a tube made of cork or other resilient or elastic material which is not adversely affected by the contents of the bottle. The inner dimensions of the bushing are such as to enable the bushing to tightly receive the lower reduced or tubular end 4 of the main body of the device, and the outer dimensions of the bushing are such as to enable the bushing to be snugly received within the open end 5 of the neck of the bottle. The outer surface of the bushing may advantageously be tapered so as to adapt the bushing for bottles having necks of somewhat different diameters as well as to facilitate the operation of inserting the device into a bottle. The fact that the bushing is separable from the rest of the device renders it possible to use a device of a single size for a wide range of bottle sizes. To adapt the device of the invention for being snugly received within the neck of a particular sized bottle, it is merely necessary to employ a bushing of a size such that it will be snugly received within the bottle neck.

Intermediate the upper portion 3 and the tubular lower end 4, the device may be provided with an annular flange 6. The flange serves as the upper limit to which the bushing 2 may be forced on the tubular lower end t. It also serves as the limit to which the device of the invention may be forced into the neck of the bottle. As shown, the main body portion between the upper part 3 and the annular flange may be provided with the two apertured wings l and 8.

The main body portion l is preferably symmetrical about a plane parallel to its thickness and is hollow as shown. The upper plate-like portion 3 is provided at its opposite ends with apertures 9 and ill, the sides and top of said portion being solid except for the two apertures. 1 Each of the apertures 9 and E9 is adapted to serve either as a pouring spout or as an air inlet or vent depending upon which way the bottle is tilted.

The lower end of the tubular portion 4 is provided with two partitions Hand l2 whose planes are parallel to the thickness of the plate-like portion 3 and which combine with the walls of the tubular element 4 to form the passageways I9, 20 and 2I in the lower portion of said tubular element. The partitions are of equal height and as shown at I3 and I4 are preferably provided with upper bevelled ends for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. Pivotally mounted within the main body portion I with its plane parallel to the thickness thereof is a thin fiat arm I5. The manner in which the arm is pivoted is shown in Figure 4. As illustrated in said figure, the arm I5 is provided with two oppositely extending projections I6 and II, which are received within recesses I8 provided for that purpose in the walls of the device. The arm I5 extends from the vicinity of the apertures 9 and III to the bevelled edges I3 and I4, being pivoted closer to the bevelled edges than to the openings 9 and I so that the arm readily tilts in the direction that the bottle is tilted.

As has been stated, the bushing 2 may be made of cork or of other resilient or elastic material which is not adversely affected by the contents of the bottle for which the device is intended. The main body portion of the device may be made of metals, alloys, rubber or organic plastics of the type that can readily be molded. Among such organic plastics may be mentioned the synthetic resins such as Bakelite, the cellulose plastics such as cellulose acetate, the protein plastics such as casein as well as the various rubber substitutes or synthetic rubbers such as Duprene or Neoprene. The device may if desired be made of transparent material so that the flow of liquid can be seen through the device. The device may advantageously be provided with suitable designs of either surface ornamentation or configuration, and may be provided with suitable forms of advertising for either the liquid contained in the bottle or other product. The flat arm I may be made of any suitable material such as metals or alloys or laminated materials.

Although the operation of the device is thought to be clear from the foregoing description yet to avoid the possibility of a misunderstanding the following additional description is here given:

When the bottle provided with the device is tilted as shown in Figure 3, the arm I5 tilts in the same direction to assume its position shown by the full lines in said figure wherein its lower end contacts the bevelled edge I4 of the partition I2. This forms two passagewaysone for the outgoing liquid and the other for the incoming air. The passageway for the outgoing liquid consists of the passageways I9 and 20 and that portion of the chamber formed in the portion 3 which lies between the opening 9, the Wall face 22 and the arm face 23. The passageway for the incoming air consists of the passageway 2I and that portion of the chamber formed in'portion 3 which lies between the opening I0, the arm face 24 and the wall face 25. These passageways are not fixed. If the bottle is tilted so that the opening I0 is downwardly disposed, the arm I5 will move to its dot and dash line position shown in Figure 3. In this position the opening 9 becomes the inlet for the passageway for the incoming air and the opening I0 becomes the outlet for the outgoing water. Under these circumstances the passageways 20 and 2I are part of the water outlet passageway defined by the opening I0, the arm face 24 and the wall face 25; and the passageway I9 becomes part of the air inlet passageway dedisclosures and description are merely illustrative and are not intended to be restrictive of the scope of the invention beyond what is required by the language of the claims and the state of the prior art. It is to be distinctly understood that the essential thought and concept which characterize my invention may be combined with other concepts and that the details of the illustrative embodiment may be modified in various ways or replaced by other details without affecting the peculiar results obtained and without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A combined closure and dispensing device for liquid containers, said device consisting of an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion being provided with two openings, each one of which is adapted to serve either as a pouring spout or as an air vent, the lower portion being adapted to be received within the open end of the neck of a bottle containing a liquid, the device being provided with two vertical passageways communicating with the bottle and each terminating at its upper end in one of the aforesaid openings, said passageways having a common partition pivoted intermediate its ends so as to tilt in the same direction as the bottle.

2. A combined closure and dispensing device for liquid containers, said device consisting of an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion being provided with two substantially symmetrical openings, each of which is adapted to serve as either a pouring spout or as an air inlet depending upon the way the container is tilted, said lower portion being adapted to be received within the open end of a container for a liquid, and being provided with three openings communicating with the container, each of two of said openings being always in communication with one of the openings in the upper portion of the device and the third of said openings being adapted to be placed into communication with either one or the other of the two openings in the upper portion of the device; and means for selectively placing said third opening into communication with either one or the other of the two openings in the upper portion of the device.

3. A combined closure and dispensing device for liquid containers, said device consisting of an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion being provided with two "substantially symmetrical openings, each of which is adapted to serve as either a pouring spout or as an air inlet depending upon the way the container is tilted, said lower portion being adapted to be received within the open end of a container for a liquid, and being provided with three openings communicating with the container, each of two of said openings being always in communication with one of the openings in the upper portion of the device and the third of said openings being adapted to be placed into communication with either one or the other of the two openings in the upper portion of the device; and means for selectively placing said third opening into communication with either one or the other of the two openings in the upper portion of the-device, said means comprising an arm pivotally mounted within the body of the device and extending from the openings in the lower portion of the device to the vicinity of the openings in the upper portion of the device. a

4. A combined closure and dispensing device for liquid containers, said device consisting of an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion being provided with two substantially symmetrical openings, each of which is adapted to serve as either a pouring spout or as an air inlet depending upon the way the container is tilted, said lower portion being adapted to be received within the open end of a container for a liquid, said device having a hollow body portion and a partition extending substantially from the upper to the lower portion of the device and dividing said body portion into two chambers or passageways, each of which terminates at its upper end in one of the openings, and means for mounting the partition for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis whereby the partition will tilt in the same direction as the container.

EDWARD P. EDWARDS. 

